United States · United States Congress · 8 January 2019
Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 This bill establishes new background check requirements for firearm transfers between private parties (i.e., unlicensed individuals). Specifically, it prohibits a firearm transfer between private parties unless a licensed gun dealer, manufacturer, or importer first takes possession of the firearm to conduct a background check. The prohibition does not apply to certain firearm transfers, such as a gift between spouses in good faith.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2019
This bill repeals the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, which currently prohibits direct spending and revenue legislation from increasing the budget deficit.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act This bill establishes the Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating anti-Semitism as an ambassador-rank official, appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, who leads the Office to Monitor and Combat anti-Semitism within the Department of State. (Under current law, the special envoy is appointed by the Secretary of State.) The President may nominate the special envoy from among State Department officers and employees. The special envoy shall be the primary advisor in the government relating to monitoring and combating anti-Semitism in foreign countries. The individual shall be of recognized distinction in religious freedom, law enforcement, or combating anti-Semitism.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Hate Crime Victim Assistance Act of 2019 This bill establishes new grant programs to support state and local efforts to combat hate crimes and assist hate crime victims. Specifically, the Department of Justice (DOJ) must award grants for the following: (1) hate crime information and assistance websites and hate crime hotlines; and (2) education and training programs to solve and prevent hate crimes. Additionally, DOJ must establish, in the Office of Victims of Crime, a grant program to support programs and activities for victims of hate crimes.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Ban Toxic Pesticides Act of 2019 This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to cancel the registration of the pesticide chlorpyrifos under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. The bill prohibits the sale and use of existing stock of chlorpyrifos. The bill requires the EPA to ban chlorpyrifos residue on food under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
This resolution expresses concern about the capture and detention of journalist Austin Tice near Damascus, Syria. It encourages the Department of State, the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, and other U.S. government entities to engage with Syria to facilitate Tice's safe release.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Washington, D.C. Admission Act This bill provides for admission into the United States of the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth, composed of most of the territory of the District of Columbia. The state shall be admitted to the Union on an equal footing with the other states. The Mayor of the District of Columbia shall issue a proclamation for the first elections to Congress of two Senators and one Representative of the state. The bill applies current District of Columbia laws to the state and continues pending judicial proceedings. The state (1) shall consist of all District territory, with specified exclusions for federal buildings and monuments, including the principal federal monuments, the White House, the Capitol Building, the U.S. Supreme Court Building, and the federal executive, legislative, and judicial office buildings located adjacent to the Mall and the Capitol Building; and (2) may not impose taxes on federal property except as Congress permits. The bill maintains (1) the District as the seat of the federal government, and (2) the federal government's authority over military lands and specified other property. The bill provides for expedited consideration of a joint resolution repealing the 23rd Amendment to the Constitution, which provides for the appointment of electors of the President and Vice President.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
This bill expands eligibility for veterans for dental care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Specifically, the bill makes all veterans who are enrolled in the VA health care system eligible for VA-provided dental services. Currently, only veterans who have a service-connected dental issue or meet other narrow criteria are eligible for certain dental services. The bill phases in eligibility over four years based upon existing eligibility, degree of service-connected disability or other disability, prisoner of war status, award of a Purple Heart, financial need, or VA health care eligibility.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Emmett Till Antilynching Act This bill specifies that an offense involving lynching is a hate crime act. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a prison term, a fine, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Homeless Veteran Families Act This bill updates the Department of Veterans Affairs per diem payment calculation for entities furnishing services to homeless veterans to include funding for a minor dependent. The rate for per diem payments is the daily cost of care as estimated by the grant recipient or eligible entity. This bill would expand the per diem payment amount for a homeless veteran who has care of a minor dependent to the daily cost of care plus, for each minor dependent, an amount that equals 50% of such daily cost of care.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Combating Sexual Harassment in Science Act of 2019 This bill addresses sexual harassment in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields by supporting sexual harassment research and efforts to prevent and respond to sexual harassment. This bill directs the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award grants to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or their consortia) to expand research into sexual harassment in the STEM workforce, including students and trainees; and examine interventions for reducing the incidence and negative consequences of such harassment. The NSF must convene a working group composed of representatives of federal statistical agencies to develop questions on sexual harassment in STEM departments in order to gather national data on the prevalence, nature, and implications of such harassment in institutions of higher education. The NSF shall enter into agreements with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to (1) update a responsible conduct guide issued by the National Academies, and (2) study the influence of sexual harassment in institutions of higher education on the career advancement of individuals in the STEM workforce. The National Science and Technology Council shall establish an interagency working group to coordinate the federal science agencies' efforts to reduce the prevalence of sexual harassment involving grant personnel. The Office of Science and Technology Policy must develop a uniform set of policy guidelines for such agencies to prevent and respond to reports of sexual harassment.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act This bill establishes the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans. The commission shall examine slavery and discrimination in the colonies and the United States from 1619 to the present and recommend appropriate remedies. Among other requirements, the commission shall identify (1) the role of the federal and state governments in supporting the institution of slavery, (2) forms of discrimination in the public and private sectors against freed slaves and their descendants, and (3) lingering negative effects of slavery on living African-Americans and society.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
For the People Act of 2019 This bill addresses voter access, election integrity, election security, political spending, and ethics for the three branches of government. Specifically, the bill expands voter registration and voting access, makes Election Day a federal holiday, and limits removing voters from voter rolls. The bill provides for states to establish independent, nonpartisan redistricting commissions. The bill also sets forth provisions related to election security, including sharing intelligence information with state election officials, protecting the security of the voter rolls, supporting states in securing their election systems, developing a national strategy to protect the security and integrity of U.S. democratic institutions, establishing in the legislative branch the National Commission to Protect United States Democratic Institutions, and other provisions to improve the cybersecurity of election systems. This bill addresses campaign spending, including by expanding the ban on foreign nationals contributing to or spending on elections; expanding disclosure rules pertaining to organizations spending money during elections, campaign advertisements, and online platforms; and revising disclaimer requirements for political advertising. This bill establishes an alternative campaign funding system for certain federal offices. The system involves federal matching of small contributions for qualified candidates. This bill sets forth provisions related to ethics in all three branches of government. Specifically, the bill requires a code of ethics for federal judges and justices, prohibits Members of the House from serving on the board of a for-profit entity, expands enforcement of regulations governing foreign agents, and establishes additional conflict-of-interest and ethics provisions for federal employees and the White House. The bill also requires candidates for President and Vice President to submit 10 years of tax returns.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Driver and Officer Safety Education Act This bill amends the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) to increase authorization levels for FY2019-FY2020. The bill decreases the allocation of funds under national priority safety programs for (1) occupant protection, (2) state traffic safety information system improvements, and (3) impaired driving countermeasures. The Department of Transportation must award grants to states that enact a commuter safety education program for educational and training programs concerning law enforcement practices during traffic stops and other in-person encounters. In each fiscal year, 2% of the funds provided for commuter safety education shall be allocated among states that implement commuter safety education programs.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Social Security Fairness Act of 2019 This bill repeals provisions that reduce Social Security benefits for individuals who receive other benefits, such as a pension from a state or local government job. The bill eliminates the government pension offset , which in various instances reduces Social Security survivors' benefits for spouses, widows, and widowers who also receives government pensions of their own. The bill also eliminates the windfall elimination provision , which in some instances reduces Social Security benefits for individuals who also receive a pension or disability benefit from an employer that did not withhold Social Security taxes.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Nationally Enhancing the Wellbeing of Babies through Outreach and Research Now Act or the NEWBORN Act This bill requires the Health Resources and Services Administration to support pilot programs that address infant mortality. Specifically, grants must be awarded to local and tribal health departments in areas with the highest rates of infant mortality to establish pilot programs that address specified issues, including birth defects, premature births, and sudden infant death syndrome.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act This bill sets forth requirements and limitations with respect to the removal from office of a special counsel appointed by the Attorney General, or of another official appointed by the Attorney General who exercises a similar degree of independence from the Department of Justice (DOJ) chain of command. Specifically, a special counsel or other appointed official may only be removed by the Attorney General or the most senior Senate-confirmed DOJ official, in certain circumstances; may only be removed for misconduct, dereliction of duty, incapacity, conflict of interest, or other good cause; must be provided written notice that specifies the reason for removal; and may file an action to challenge the removal not later than 10 days after notice was provided.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Democracy Restoration Act of 2019 This bill addresses the voting rights of persons convicted of a criminal offense and the restoration of their voting rights. The bill declares that the right of a U.S. citizen to vote in any election for federal office shall not be denied or abridged because that individual has been convicted of a criminal offense unless, at the time of the election, such individual is serving a felony sentence. The bill provides for enforcement of, and remedies for violations of, the bill. The bill sets forth requirements for state and federal notification of individuals of the restoration of their voting rights. The bill prohibits federal funding of construction or improvement of a place of incarceration unless U.S. citizens incarcerated in that jurisdiction are notified, upon release, of their voting rights.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Veterans Jobs Opportunity Act This bill allows a new business-related tax credit for the start-up expenses of a veteran-owned small business in an underserved community. The allowable amount of such credit is 15% of start-up expenditures that do not exceed $80,000. To be eligible for the credit, the small business must (1) be owned and controlled by one or more veterans or spouses of veterans, and (2) have a principal place of business in an underserved community. An "underserved community" is any area located within (1) a HUBZone (as defined by the Small Business Act), (2) an empowerment zone or an enterprise community, (3) an area of low income or moderate income (as recognized by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council), or (4) a county with persistent poverty (as classified by the Economic Research Service of the Department of Agriculture).
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Rehabilitation of Historic Schools Act of 2019 This bill allows rehabilitation expenditures for any building which is a qualified public educational facility to qualify for the rehabilitation tax credit. A "qualified public educational facility" is a school facility that is part of a public elementary or secondary school and is owned by a private, for-profit corporation pursuant to a public-private partnership agreement with a state or local educational agency.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Police Training and Independent Review Act of 2019 This bill authorizes the Department of Justice to award grants to states that do the following: (1) require law enforcement officers to be trained on diversity and sensitivity, and (2) require an independent prosecutor to be appointed to investigate and prosecute an alleged offense involving the use of deadly force by a law enforcement officer that results in a death or injury.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Police Creating Accountability by Making Effective Recording Available Act of 2019 or the Police CAMERA Act of 2019 This bill authorizes the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance to make grants to states, local governments, and Indian tribes to purchase or lease body-worn cameras for use by law enforcement officers and to implement body-worn camera programs.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
National Statistics on Deadly Force Transparency Act of 2019 This bill requires federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to collect, compile, and submit data to the Department of Justice's (DOJ's) Bureau of Justice Statistics on the use of deadly force by law enforcement officers. DOJ must reduce by 10% the allocation of funds under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program for a state or local government that fails to substantially comply.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Streamlined and Improved Methods at Polling Locations and Early (SIMPLE) Voting Act of 2019 This bill allows for early voting in elections for federal office and for reduced waiting times for voters at polling places used in such elections. States must allow early voting in a federal election each day during the 15-day period ending on the second day before election day in the same manner as voting is allowed on election day; ensure that each polling place that allows early voting in a federal election is located within reasonable walking distance of a stop on a public transportation route; provide a sufficient number of voting systems, poll workers, and other election resources at polling places used in a federal election to ensure an equitable waiting time, not longer than one hour, for all voters in the state; plan to provide polling places whose waiting times exceed one hour on election day with additional poll workers, machines, ballots, and other equipment and supplies. The Election Assistance Commission shall issue standards for the administration of early voting in a federal election. The bill establishes requirements for the counting of provisional ballots that will be treated as votes. The bill allows civil money penalties, intervention by aggrieved parties, and private actions to address Help America Vote Act of 2002 violations by a state or jurisdiction.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Amend the Code for Marriage Equality Act of 2019 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), the Social Security Act (SSAct), and other federal laws to replace (1) references to "wife" or "husband" with references to "spouse"; and (2) references to "husband and wife" or "husband or wife" with references to "married couple" or " married person." For purposes of federal laws or regulations, "marriage" is defined as a legal union between two people as spouses. The bill eliminates a definition of "spouse" that refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife. Requirements concerning compensation to a surviving wife after the disability or death of a person employed at a military, air, or naval base outside the United States are revised to make surviving spouses eligible for such compensation. Under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, provisions concerning the amount of leave available to a husband and wife employed by the same employer are revised to apply to a married couple employed by the same employer. Requirements under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 that make disability and death benefits payable to the wife or widow of a miner are revised to make the benefits payable to the spouse or surviving spouse of a miner. IRC provisions that require a divorced wife's gross income to include the income of any trust she is entitled to receive that would otherwise be includible in the gross income of her husband, or vice versa, are revised to apply to the gross income of individuals who are divorced from their spouse. The bill revises title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the SSAct to consolidate separate provisions for a wife's insurance benefits and a husband's insurance benefits into a single standard for a spouse's insurance benefits. Criminal penalties that currently apply to persons who threaten to kill, kidnap, or inflict bodily harm upon a former President's wife or widow are revised to apply to threats made to a former President's spouse or surviving spouse.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Same Day Registration Act of 2019 This bill requires states with a voter registration requirement to make same-day voter registration available at the polling place on any day voting is permitted.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Vote by Mail Act of 2019 This bill requires states to allow voting in federal elections to be by mail without additional conditions or requirements, except a deadline for returning the ballot. States must mail ballots to individuals registered to vote in a federal election not later than two weeks before the election. The U.S. Postal Service must carry ballots mailed by a state expeditiously and free of postage. This bill authorizes automatic voter registration of individuals through state motor vehicle authorities.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act This bill requires federal employees and District of Columbia public employees furloughed due to a lapse in appropriations that begins on or about December 22, 2018, to be compensated at their standard rate of compensation for the period of such lapse as soon as practicable after such lapse ends.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Gun Trafficking Prohibition Act This bill establishes stand-alone criminal offenses for trafficking in firearms and straw purchasing of firearms. The bill expands the categories of prohibited persons (i.e., persons barred from receiving or possessing a firearm or ammunition) to include persons who intend (1) to sell or transfer a firearm or ammunition to a prohibited person, (2) to sell or transfer a firearm to further a crime of violence or drug trafficking offense, or (3) to unlawfully export. It increases the maximum prison term for the sale or transfer of a firearm to or the receipt or possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. The bill revises the existing prohibition on transferring a firearm knowing that it will be used to commit a crime of violence or drug trafficking offense. It broadens the scope of unlawful conduct and increases the maximum prison term for a violator. The bill also revises the existing prohibition on smuggling a firearm into the United States with the intent to unlawfully import or to promote a crime of violence or drug trafficking offense. It broadens the scope of unlawful conduct and increases the maximum prison term for a violator. Finally, the bill makes it a crime to smuggle a firearm or ammunition out of the United States, or conspire or attempt to do so, with the intent to unlawfully export or to promote a crime of violence or drug trafficking offense.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Constitutional Amendment This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment prohibiting the President from granting a pardon or reprieve to himself or herself, to certain members of the President's family, to members of the President's administration, or to paid employees of the President's presidential campaign.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Constitutional Amendment This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment requiring the President and Vice President to be elected directly by the people of the states and the District of Columbia.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 2019
Constitutional Amendment This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment authorizing Congress and the states to set reasonable limits on the raising and spending of money by candidates and others to influence elections. The amendment grants Congress and the states the power to implement and enforce this amendment by legislation. They are allowed to distinguish between natural persons and corporations or other artificial entities created by law, including by prohibiting such entities from spending money to influence elections.
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 2018
Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act This bill requires federal employees furloughed due to a lapse in appropriations that begins on or about December 22, 2018, to be compensated at their standard rate of compensation for the period of such lapse as soon as practicable after such lapse ends.
United States · United States Congress · 20 December 2018
Shut Down Child Prison Camps Act The bill prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services from operating unlicensed temporary emergency shelters for unaccompanied alien children, including the existing shelters in Tornillo, Texas and Homestead, Florida.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2018
Affordable Drug Manufacturing Act of 2018 This bill establishes an Office of Drug Manufacturing within the Department of Health and Human Services for the purposes of lowering prices, increasing access, and addressing shortages of prescription drugs, including insulin.
United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2018
Medicare for America Act of 2018 This bill establishes a national health insurance program to be administered by the Department of Health and Human Services. Among other requirements, the program must (1) cover all U.S. residents; (2) cover specified items and services, including hospital services, prescription drugs, and dental services; and (3) be fully implemented in 2022.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2018
Accountable Capitalism Act This bill imposes various duties and limitations on companies and entities that qualify as large entities, including by: (1) imposing on such an entity a duty to create a general public benefit as articulated in its charter, (2) requiring a director of a large entity to balance the pecuniary interests of shareholders with the interests of persons materially affected by the entity, (3) restricting when officers and directors may sell certain securities related to the entity, and (4) requiring shareholder and director approval of the entity's political expenditures. The bill also establishes the Office of U.S. Corporations, which shall have various duties such as reviewing and granting charters for large entities.
United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2018
This joint resolution nullifies a Department of the Treasury rule (Rev. Proc. 2018-38) that modifies the requirements for information returns filed by certain tax-exempt organizations. The Treasury rule exempts certain tax-exempt organizations that are not 501(c)(3) organizations from the requirement to report the names and addresses of their contributors on returns filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The organizations must continue to collect and keep the information to make it available to the IRS upon request.
United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2018
Driver and Officer Safety Education Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation to award grants to states that enact a commuter safety education program for educational and training programs concerning law enforcement practices during traffic stops and other in-person encounters.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2018
Reproductive Rights are Human Rights Act of 2018 This bill directs the Department of State to include in its annual reports on human rights in countries receiving U.S. development and security assistance a discussion of the status of reproductive rights in each country, including whether a country has adopted policies to: (1) promote access to contraception, (2) provide services to ensure safe and healthy pregnancy and childbirth, (3) expand or restrict access to safe abortion services, (4) prevent maternal deaths, and (5) prevent and treat sexually transmitted diseases.
United States · United States Congress · 10 December 2018
This resolution recognizes the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and encourages all nations to continue working towards freedom, peace, and security through democracy and respect for human rights.
United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2018
Expresses condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of Officer Samuel Jimenez, Dr. Tamara O'Neal, and Dayna Less, who were the victims of the shooting on November 19, 2018, at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. Honors the lives and memory of the victims, with gratitude for the service the victims provided as members of the law enforcement and medical communities.
United States · United States Congress · 29 November 2018
Social Security Enhancement and Protection Act of 2017 This bill increases and otherwise modifies benefits under the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program, including by increasing the minimum benefit for low earners and by increasing benefits for beneficiaries on account of long-term eligibility.
United States · United States Congress · 28 November 2018
Weekends Without Hunger Act This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to require the Department of Agriculture to establish a program to provide commodities, on a competitive basis, to public or private nonprofit institutions to provide nutritious food to at-risk children on weekends and during extended school holidays throughout the year (At-risk children are children who are eligible to receive free or reduced price meals under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act or the Child Nutrition Act of 1966.)
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2018
Maintain Access to Vital Social Security Services Act of 2018 This bill establishes procedures for closing a Social Security Administration field office, including by requiring (1) public notices and hearings, and (2) notification to the Senators and members of Congress whose constituents are served by the office.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2018
Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act This bill requires the Department of Labor to address workplace violence in the health care and social service sectors. Specifically, Labor must promulgate an occupational safety and health standard that requires certain employers in the health care and social service sectors, as well as employers in sectors that conduct activities similar to the activities in the health care and social service sectors, to develop and implement a comprehensive plan for protecting health care workers, social service workers, and other personnel from workplace violence.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2018
Stop Welfare for Any Large Monopoly Amassing Revenue from Taxpayers Act of 2018 This bill prohibits a large employer from purchasing its own stock if it (1) pays its employees less than $15 an hour, (2) does not provide its employees with specified paid sick leave, or (3) does not comply with a specified compensation ratio with respect to its executive officers and employees.
United States · United States Congress · 16 November 2018
National De-Escalation of Violence and Community Safety Training Act of 2018 This bill requires the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to establish a grant program for de-escalation training in communities.
![Official portrait of Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_il_9_schakowsky_janice_200.jpg)